Are Torrents dead?

[Howie666]

I have not used Torrents for ages (mostly due to security paranoia) so I was wondering if they are actually dead? They are about as secure as a not very secure thing aren't they? NZBs do the same thing with much better security. Or am I missing the elephant in the room? (I often miss elephants. It's my age)...

[SgtMajor]

Torrents are most certainly not dead, maybe the huge open public trackers are no longer around or not used or trusted less, but the private torrent scene with SSL cert and its closed doors and just sharing stuff amongst its own select members is thriving and will continue to do so for a long time yet.

Sadly the larger more famous 0Day sites which are easy to get into are used as a cash cow by their owners and members (new & old) quite happily keep the funds flowing, which I just don't get, but if everyone is happy, who am I to go against the grain.

I use both, torrent sites to see what is out, then usenet is my first option to get it to my PC, or back to the torrent site if I can't find it on usenet, horses for courses

[bumblebsticker]

Are there still any decent torrent sites around for hard to find software that isn't on Usenet?

[respawn40]

Torrents are most certainly not dead

Speaking of dead... I guess that you aren't.

[Rart]

I certainly think that (mind you, very slowly) torrents, and probably all filesharing methods in general, are on the decline. I don't think that it really has anything to do with security though, and torrents are certainly not declining more than any other method of filesharing.

In my mind one of the main proponents for the rise in popularity of filesharing stems from the absurd prices and poor accessibility from content providers. As new, more consumer friendly methods of distribution (Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, Steam, etc.) that are far more accessible and wallet friendly are on the rise the companies that are still stubbornly attached to their prohibitively expensive methods of distribution will have to adapt or suffer the same fate as Blockbuster. As of such content is getting more and more consumer friendly, and the price of admission can at times be worth the convenience, and as of such that consumer might decide to pay for Netflix/Hulu to watch such show rather than pirate it. Obviously that can't apply to every situation as a lot of content is still very restrictive, but overtime as content becomes more friendly, people will feel less of a need to pirate, and as of such filesharing is slowly, but surely on the decline.

[megabyteme]

As new, more consumer friendly methods of distribution (Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, Steam, etc.) that are far more accessible and wallet friendly [...] As of such content is getting more and more consumer friendly, and the price of admission can at times be worth the convenience, and as of such that consumer might decide to pay for Netflix/Hulu to watch such show rather than pirate it. [...]

This. Netflix has reduced my personal use of torrents by making it easier to play shows for my kids than to find them on even the most organized, fastest trackers. I do not subscribe to Spotify, but I was tempted. I have notice that after the new year, I have had two digital "pops" in each of my Spotify songs. This is on a wired connection, with a more-than-sufficient internet connection. I expect the record industry had their hand in doing this (making "purchased" albums/downloads "superior" and re-establishing a revenue stream), but I have yet to see anything confirm my suspicions. Regardless, it is irritating and my tolerance is VERY limited when it comes to DRM inconveniences.

[SgtMajor]

Torrents are most certainly not dead

Speaking of dead... I guess that you aren't.

I get resurrected every so often

Especially when the page views are down

[soulreaper]

Speaking of dead... I guess that you aren't.

I get resurrected every so often

Especially when the page views are down

It's good to see some BT vets back,so welcome back. IDK bout you but I certainly miss the drama filled days of BT when trading was fun and anti-trading was cool to talk about, though I personally preferred the trading days over the trader vs anti-trader fights.

I think we should trade some high level trackers and bring back some drama in this section again.

[rocking]

torrents all th way baby ,free

[SgtMajor]

I get resurrected every so often

Especially when the page views are down

It's good to see some BT vets back,so welcome back. IDK bout you but I certainly miss the drama filled days of BT when trading was fun and anti-trading was cool to talk about, though I personally preferred the trading days over the trader vs anti-trader fights.

I think we should trade some high level trackers and bring back some drama in this section again.

Can't say I feel the same, but after all this time one thing has stayed with me throughout it all, I still cannot see the harm in 2 members who share the same interests inviting each other into the place where they belong, (it's happened all throughout time, it's called bartering, it's what humans evolved to do) and if it goes on behind closed doors then good luck to them, there are much bigger issues to be concerned about that should be taking up staff time.

As for "high level trackers", seriously, wtf are they really? They only stroke the egos of site owners.